Page 70 of The Comeback

“What did you do?” She rests her hands on her hips. She’s wearing a purple and pink top paired with denim shorts, exposing the scars on her thigh. It’s the first time she’s worn something that displays her injury.

Her hair is pulled back from her freshly cleaned face, and her eyelids have a light dusting of eyeshadow on them. She looks young and happy. Well, not happy exactly. More like healthy. The frown on her lips and the darts she’s shooting at me from her eyes are shouting her irritation.

“Which thing?” I rake a hand through my hair.

“You know which thing. Mom told me you dumped Charlotte. That was stupid. She was nice.” Her eyes narrow tighter until there’s barely a speck of pupil showing. “She was nice to me, unlike that other cow you dated.”

“I screwed up. I was focusing too much on money and not enough on what’s truly important. The first chance I get, I’ll beg for her forgiveness.”

One corner of her mouth curves upward. “She won’t give you the time of day?”

“Not so far.”

“Good.” She grins. “I like her more now. You deserve it.”

“That’s not a very nice thing to say about your brother.”

“It wasn’t a very nice thing of you to dump her and put football first.”

While it’s nice to see my sister get her backbone back and not sitting in the dark, listening to heavy metal music, busting my balls is not the avenue I was aiming for. “You’re right. Although that’s not exactly how it happened, trying to explain will sound like a bunch of worthless excuses.”

“Remember that when you talk to her.”

“If she’ll talk to me.” I fall onto the sofa cushions and toss my feet onto the coffee table.

I was just made a multimillionaire, and I’ve never been more alone. It’s what I deserve. I should have realized money doesn’t buy happiness. “Tell me about your rehab.”

She lowers herself onto the recliner with more grace than I did and crosses one leg over the other. “My new physical therapist is nice. She’s informed about sport’s specific injuries and athletes in general. I have therapy scheduled five days a week for strength training. At the end of the month, she’ll reevaluate my progress and modify the plan accordingly.” Her smile lights up her face. “I was able to hold a squatted position for five minutes.”

“That’s fantastic.”

“I was going to stop by and tell Charlotte, but I didn’t know if she’d want to see me or not.”

“Piper.” I straighten and drop my feet to the ground, resting my elbows on my knees. “No matter what happens, Charlotte is a great person. She’ll be thrilled to hear about your progress and will cheer you on. Don’t doubt that. Just because I screwed things up isn’t a reason to avoid her.”

“Good.” Her shoulders lower. “I didn’t want to hurt your feelings by contacting her.”

“It doesn’t matter if it would’ve. You don’t need to placate me. If you ever want to be friends with someone that doesn’t like me, do it. I’m not a hero to put on a pedestal.”

“You might be human, but I’m still proud of you.” She rests her hands on the recliner’s arms and shoves upward. “Congratulations on your contract.”

“Thank you.” I smile briefly, but it takes more effort than I have. “It doesn’t matter much without Charlotte in my corner.”

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Charlotte

As we rush to the door of the bakery, Tara swipes her hair behind her ear. “Everything will be fine.”

“I think that’s a bit optimistic.” My shoulders ache from tension, and the cupcake stashed inside the adorable white and pink lettered box feels like it weighs five pounds. It’s only one cupcake, and there isn’t that much frosting on it.

My purse bounces off something and smacks against my hip. A woman seated in a chair beside the exit twists her head around and glares.

“Oh, my gosh, I’m such a klutz.” My face floods with heat. I stop and touch her shoulder. “I’m so sorry. Did I hurt you?”

The frown evaporates and is replaced with a soft smile. “No. You hit my chair. It’s fine. Please, don’t worry about it.”

“Thank you.” I pull back and wipe my hand on my pants. “I’m a little flustered today and not watching where I’m going.”

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